What Happens Next
by someclevername
Summary: Written by a friend of mine. Let her know what you think!


Ginny was never really one to just walk from one place to another. Stomping or sprinting, sure, she did that plenty. But just plain old strolling wasn't really her style. So while Harry was waiting for Ginny's turn and losing his patience with every second, he couldn't picture how she'd look at the moment she made her way up the aisle, taking the place beside him. This particular annoyance was making Harry angrier by the second and he realized he wasn't angry at all, rather just tired of waiting for the moment that he could see his Ginny again. Tired of waiting for the moment he would hear her say "I do." So instead of dwelling on those feelings, Harry decided to try to focus on each new person his eyes found in the wedding procession.

He turned to his right and looked at Ron, his best man, dressed from head to toe in black and white, fidgeting and playing with his tie. Harry smiled, feeling relaxed to have Ron next to him like always. He thought about how even though so many things were different now, some could never be changed or taken away from him. On the other side of Ron stood Neville, looking completely content as he watched the crowd of guests fill the chairs set up in the Weasley's yard at the Burrow. Twinkling lights encompassed the whole of the Burrow. Every table, chair, door, window and person there seemed to be sparkling. _When Molly Weasley does something, she doesn't do it halfway, _Harry told himself. He was grateful for this fact, because he wanted Ginny to have the best. _No less than perfect¸ _he had told her once before. And it was perfect. Everything and everyone looked more beautiful than ever. Then Harry noticed that Neville was waving at someone with a smile plastered on his (now that he had grown into it) handsome face. Harry turned and scanned the swarm of people but couldn't locate whoever Neville seemed so thrilled to see. Suddenly, once he got out of his own head, Harry understood. The music was playing, signaling the bridesmaids to take their turns down the aisle. Harry looked up, more anxious now than he was before. At that moment, Ron whispered to him, "It won't be her yet, Harry… First the flower girl and the ring bearer, remember? Try to stop sweating, just for a little longer, mate."

Victoire pranced toward the groomsmen now, flinging lily petals down the already littered aisle. _Neville must have been waving to her,_ Harry thought. She stopped along the way to greet her parents and twirled in a small circle, showing off her dress. Bill and Fleur laughed and shooed her in the other direction, and Harry swore he heard "Ze most beautiful daughter in ze world we 'ave, William!" Once she arrived at the top of the aisle, she walked straight up to Harry and tugged on his sleeve, beckoning him to bend down to her so she could say something. Worried there might be a problem, Harry asked in his softest voice, "What is it, Victoire?" Seeing the worry lines creasing his forehead, Victoire reached up and smoothed his face with her hand and responded, loud enough for anyone close by to hear, "_Uncle_ Harry." Then she skipped away, taking her spot in the front row of seats. Harry blushed, attempting to take the compliment in stride and looked up to see Teddy Lupin approaching him next. Teddy's normally shaggy hair was trimmed and Harry could only assume that Molly had something to do with that. He came, presented the rings and left, sitting on a chair next to Victoire. They giggled about something and then all the noise got just the slightest bit quieter.

Luna was the first bridesmaid in line and she glided down the aisle with her dreamy look on her face. She looked lovely, even if she was living in her own world. Her dress was so long that she did give of the image of almost floating toward them. Harry immediately considered that Ginny must have had something to do with that and he was beaming at the thought when he heard Ron suck in a huge breath. It only took seconds to realize why, because at that very moment, Hermione was walking down the aisle. Harry, too, was taken aback by how she looked. He sometimes forgot that Hermione looked even better when she was all dressed up. Her hair was done in loose curls with a lavender-colored headband laced through it and her dress, the same as Luna's but cut a bit shorter, flowed with each step she took. Before he could find a word that best fit her, Harry heard Ron say, "Amazing… So… Wow…" from behind him. Harry let his temptations take over and turned around to sneak a peek at Ron's face. His mouth was open in a perfect _O_ shape and then it closed, switching itself into a grin that took up all of his face. His ears went from peach to pink to burning red in seconds and Harry was sure that Hermione's cheeks must be performing the same act Ron's ears were. He wanted to poke fun at Ron but he didn't want to waste another second looking in this direction when he was so very aware of what was waiting for him in the other. He twisted himself to facing forward once more and then, like every other person there, he was silent.

Ginny looked most beautiful of them all. Harry wondered if maybe he was just biased, but the looks on every face in the gathering seemed to portray the same awed look that Harry's wore. Her long red hair was wavy with braids twisting all throughout it and her ivory dress looked like it was made just for her, like it would've been horrible on anyone else but she could pull it off just right. None of this mattered to Harry, though, because Ginny was smiling at him as she ambled up the aisle, one foot in front of the other, and nothing could be more beautiful than that smile. When she finally, finally stood beside Harry, he grabbed her hands in his and squeezed, not wanting to say the wrong thing but feeling the urge to say something, somehow. Ginny looked up into his green eyes and reached into her veil, pulling out her wand. Harry instantly felt confused because they had agreed on a wedding without magic (not including the reception, of course). Then she stuck her tongue out at him and wrote into the air between them, in silvery gleaming letters, "Until The Very End."

When the ceremony was over, Harry felt like a new person. It was as if the ring on his finger changed everything. Nothing could make his past less dark but having Ginny to call his wife meant a lighter future, even if there were bumps along the road. Hermione waved him over to where she and Ron were standing and he pulled on Ginny, whose hand he hadn't let go of since they vowed I do. A camera magicked to take pictures for the night flew in front of them and began to snap dozens of candid photos until Hermione took her wand out and made it pause. They got themselves in order, the _four _of them now, and smiled. That was the moment that things started to change.


End file.
